Tagged by another Joanna

Well, actually I'm a Joanne but I much prefer Joanna. Yip, over at Joanna Bags she put my name down for an 8 tag. I have to have 8 friends to tag as well? Does she think I'm popular ? Blinking heck I can barely manage 8 relations still talking to me sometime. Any way, here we are (no kids since they're on a sleepover so I have 5 spare minutes for a quickie. But since the hubby is at work, I'll settle for posting instead. Apologies to the easily offended) and I have to write 8 things about me.

1. The only car accident I have had so far was with the Chief Constable of Merseyside the night he came out of hospital after a month in for a bad back. He was not driving, it was one of the ultra-trained police drivers and I was only 21 and a new(ish) driver in MY DAD'S CAR. Was I popular that night, I can tell you! Apparently, the other officers in the police station didn't know whether to lock me away for good or give me a medal and use me on the driving training course. I can laugh about it now (Ha ha ha. Took me years. If I'd have been a little more neurotic I could have had therapy. I knitted my way out of it.)

2. My daughter was born at 6.10 am on my Mother's birthday. I had to ring Ma up at 4am and say Happy Birthday, please hurry. She was happy about that.

3. I was baptised a Roman Catholic and I have been confirmed as an Anglican. If I ever get ordained it will be as a Methodist. I take ecumenism very seriously and I think that the bonds that unite us should be tighter than the chinks that divide us. Are you listening, Pope Benedict? Now if you ask me what I am I just say Christian... not 'Born Again', because that's another chink and that's how the separation starts.

4. My favourite food ever ever ever is proper french Confit de Canard. I could eat it all year, but at the moment I only get a couple of tins when Ma brings it home from France. I should find a UK supplier, or at least a french travelling friend who would bring me back a couple of tins every month, but I haven't ever been so organised. And it weighs a lot so it would drive anybodys luggage over the limit.

5. The little finger on my left hand is shorter than that on my right and neither are as long as they should be. I say it's because I'm more highly evolved than other humans and am losing the vestigal fingers that we never use. My brothers say it's because I'm deformed. Either way, I don't play piano and could never do a full octave without using my nose.

6. I name all my cars. My present one is Rocky, before him I had Goofy, Bob and Arthur. My best cars are always boys, the only girl I had was Veronica and she was a cow, always breaking down. I tend to drive cars into the ground and get a new one out of necessity rather than prestige. Rocky has been with me 7 years now and (touch wood) still being a good boy.

7. I have a thing for Aaron Sorkin's work. A Few Good Men, The American President and West Wing are my favourite films & TV series. I'm watching Studio 60, but I've only seen the first episode so am reserving judgement. I think it misses the concept of absolute power that West Wing has, but I'm hoping the slick script will make up for that.

8. My favourite animals are frogs. When I was young and single (never free; I've always been expensive) I collected frogs and had them on mugs, plates, in toy form, ornament form and even a noticeboard. That was in the 80's when everyone had an animal they collected. I had a friend who collected pigs, but she was really thin which, I think, takes any insulting comparison out of the collection. Me? I was looking for my prince and when I found him I didn't need to collect frogs anymore. (OK, he told me if I brought one more stupid frog into the house he would not be impressed. I'm a good girl, I haven't got any since then, but they are still my favourite animal)

Enough already! I have to tag 8 people now? How do I know who has been tagged? I'll try Sarah, Mary, Lucy, Blair, Saraeden, Weirdbunny, Ali and Papoosue. If you have time, Ladies, please let's have 8 random facts about yourselves and another poor 8 saps tagged! (You can tag me again if you need to, it's not that bad and I can think of another 8 random things.